The present invention relates generally to wireless and cellular communication systems and in particular to a telephone that permits users to communicate by telephone within the limits of time and thereafter the telephone is discarded.
In the past, recyclable wireless telephones have been employed as a viable means of communication. Although prior art recyclable/disposable wireless or cellular telephones were convenient, the normal mode of usage for prior art designs, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,654, encompassed existing as a plurality of telephones used in a network environment. This arrangement has made ownership of an individual disposable telephone, for use outside of a network, unfeasible.
A further drawback of prior art disposable wireless or cellular telephone systems is that, in some capacity, the consumer is forced to contract with a service provider. Contracting for service in this manner can often prove expensive, tenuous and encumbering to an individual who only needed telephone service for a short period.
Finally, in prior art disposable telephone systems, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,058, the telephone was designed to be rechargeable and therefore, upon expiration of the time period purchased, the consumer would have to return to the telephone to the provider for refurbishing or recharging. Thus causing the user extra expense and loss of time.
What is needed is a truly disposable telephone system. This system should be capable of disposal upon expiration of a designated usage period, without the need to return the telephone to the provider. The system, as designed to be governed by a usage period, should be available to the consumer in a range of quantities, in order to meet the requirements of the specific user.
The present invention relates to an inexpensive, disposable wireless communication system, designed for ease of use, along with ease of disposal. Unlike prior disposable or rechargeable wireless telephone systems, the instant disposable wireless telephone allows the consumer to purchase the telephone and avail herself of the telephone""s benefits without having to arrange for a service contract.
The disposable wireless communication system also allows the consumer to realize how much usable time is available on the system without having to contact a systems administrator or memory system. The disposable cell phone requires no monitoring or data storage capacity, hence, no memory chips are needed.
In view of the instant system regarding less sophisticated circuitry system as compared to the prior cellular telephone systems, the short life expectancy, and the abolishment of the need to return the instant system to the distributor, the system can be manufactured in a less expensive manner and offered for sale at a local pharmacy, department store, grocery store, and/or placed in hotel lobbies.
The consumer is informed of the amount of usage time remaining on the system by a digital output on the front panel of the telephone. Disablement of communication capabilities may be achieved in several manners. A protective mechanism that disables the system upon opening the back casing panel is installed. This mechanism is integral in order to insure that new batteries cannot be installed, since upon expiration of the designated time period, service will no longer be provided.